The NELK Boys have become some of the biggest names on YouTube thanks to their hilarious pranks, crazy lifestyle and connections with some of the biggest names on the internet. Here’s everything you need to know about them.
The NELK Boys made their claim to fame on YouTube by pranking unsuspecting members of the public, always willing to ramp it up and put themselves in horrendously awkward situations to please the fans.
Back then, they were making barely any money and just driving across the States, staying on fans’ couches to get by. Now, NELK and its Full Send brand have become a full-blown media empire.
Here’s the low-down on the ever-expanding group, including how much they’re worth, making millions through merch and their Happy Dad seltzer, and their YouTube channels.
Contents
- Who is in NELK?
- NELK Boys net worth
- How do they make money?
- NELK YouTube channels
- NELK controversies & legal issues
All NELK members & friends
NELK continues to grow every day, with multiple members from the front-facing talent on camera to the men and women behind the scenes. Here are the main people you’ll see in NELK videos:
- Kyle Forgeard: Kyle is a co-founder of NELK and continues to be one of their main faces in videos.
- Jesse Sebastiani: Jesse joined NELK shortly after it was created by Kyle, having appeared on MTV show Careless Teens prior. He has slowly stopped appearing in NELK videos to work on the Full Send brand, but still makes appearances.
- SteveWillDoIt: Steve Deleonardis has become a face of the NELK brand, bringing out a truly wild side with his partying and insane stories.
- Salim: Salim the Dream is one of the newer members of NELK and seems to have almost become the chief prankster of the group, keeping the older NELK content alive.
Other members and acquaintances include Lucas Gasparini, Cousin Jay, Jimmy Gambles, Bob Menery and Bradley Martyn.
NELK Boys’ net worth
It’s no secret that the NELK Boys make a decent living nowadays. The group as a whole is estimated to have a combined net worth of around $4m, but here’s how the individuals’ net worths are allegedly looking:
- Kyle Forgeard net worth: Approx. $1.5m
- Jesse Sebastiani net worth: Approx $1.5m
- SteveWillDoIt net worth: Approx $2.55m
- SalimTheDream net worth: Approx. $800k
How do NELK Boys make their money?
The NELK Boys have spoken very openly in the past about how they make almost no money at all from their YouTube videos, so they’ve had to find new ways to monetize their brand — and succeeded exceptionally well.
Their money comes from three key areas in 2021: sponsorships, Full Send merch, and Happy Dad hard seltzer.
NELK Boys sponsorships
While NELK don’t get much from YouTube, they do make plenty of sponsored videos with the likes of Roobet and Wizza. These companies have given them the chance to not only make loads of money but do huge giveaways for fans, including a custom Full Send-themed Ferrari.
NELK Boys Full Send merch
The main money-maker for NELK is their Full Send merch, with regular drops selling out in minutes and making an absolute killing.
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Full Send Happy Dad seltzer
In 2021, the NELK Boys’ Kyle and Steve officially launched their new hard seltzer, Happy Dad. It’s slowly rolling out across the entire United States and is sure to be making them a pretty penny, and that will only grow over time.
NELK YouTube channels
The NELK Boys have several YouTube channels between them amounting to millions of subscribers. Here’s what they have, including subscriber count at the time of writing:
- NELK (7m subscribers): The main NELK channel is where you’ll find their weekly episodic series, full of pranks, travels and partying.
- Full Send (781k): The Full Send channel is for content more closely relating to the Full Send brand. Currently, Jesse runs his series ‘SH*THOLE’ on it, giving a more BTS look of the brand.
- NELK Shorts (87.6k): As it says on the tin, this channel is for NELK’s YouTube Shorts content, posting short-form videos.
- Full Send podcast (857k): The Full Send podcast is still in its infancy, but they’ve had some top guests, including Shaquille O’Neal and the soldier who killed Osama Bin Laden.
- Full Send podcast clips (38.9k): Best clips from the Full Send podcast.
- SteveWillDoIt (4m): Steve’s main vlogging channel where he hangs out with rappers, surprises fans and spends his money.
NELK Boys controversies & legal issues
In 2015, NELK posted a video called “Coke prank on cops,” one of their first truly viral videos. A few months later, the LAPD advised against imitating it, saying that it is illegal.
In January 2019, Jesse was arrested for a prank in which he asked people in a Barnes & Noble to cover for him for a crime.
In May 2020, Kyle, Steve and Salim were arrested over a prank filmed in Target, accused of “disturbing the peace.”
In September 2020, the police department in Normal, Illinois announced an investigation into Nelk after they hosted a flash mob of about 200 people on-campus at Illinois State University.
On March 23, 2021, NELK was unable to upload a video due to recommendations from their attorney in relation to an arrest warrant filed against Kyle in Texas. That month, CBS also reported that NELK was responsible for a series of physical assaults at a group meet in Fort Worth, Texas on March 15.
That’s just about everything there is to know about the NELK Boys. Of course, the team expands far beyond the names and activities mentioned, and they’re really reaping the rewards of their ventures.
With the Full Send brand continuing to grow, who knows where they end up next?
